As an explorer one of your main objectives is to minimise time, cost and effort taken to discover producible, commercially viable, hydrocarbon deposits and provide a positive return to your shareholders.
If hydrocarbon deposits are found upon drilling a well, a ‘well test’ will be completed. During this step of the exploration process, the quantity and quality of the hydrocarbon found will be evaluated and any difficulty and costs related to producing the hydrocarbon commercially can be estimated. This step will ascertain if the deposit is commercially viable.
A Crude Oil Assay is used to help determine the quality of the hydrocarbon found in terms of composition and boiling point distribution. This knowledge is critical in evaluating the commercial worth of the hydrocarbon.